From Prompt 12, my line is “It’s rare that a story begins at the beginning.”

Martini Splash

By Sandy Lender

 

Amid the laughter and clanking of glasses

Over the jazz, but under the radar of my BFF,

Aqua Velva touches my arm like he knows me.

Just my luck,

Mr. Touchy is one of those rare gents who thinks the words

“no, thank you”

mean “at least buy me a drink.”

Like I’m gonna take a drink from a stranger.

A drink that has a darker color than his own.

Stay six feet back, buddy,

Or I’ll drop this mask and sneeze directly on you.

(And your martini-of-questionable-hue.)

The over-cologner says “that’s not a nice beginning to our story.”

I tell him it’s how “our” story begins, middles, and ends.

Saved by my BFF’s return,

Mr. Touchy preps to turn away,

But I can’t (with good conscience) let him take his suspect cocktail into the buzzing crowd.

Oopsadaisy! My mistake!

Well, that’ll just cover that 1970’s aftershave, won’t it?